Any advice on making nursery drop off less upsetting??

I am new on here so hoping I can get some advice....... my little boy (16 months) still cries every day when we drop him off at nursery. He's been going for 6 months now and absolutely loves it when he's there but every morning when either I or my boyfriend drop him off he cries. I thought he would have grown out of it by now and sure he will do at some point but does anyone have any similar experiences and if so, any advice on how we can try and help him get over this upset each morning?

It is fairly common for some children to continue to cry when being dropped off at nursery for some time Especially at this stage of development when he may have some separation anxiety.
Tears are just a normal form of expression for him while he is developing his language, and do not necessarily indicate that there's a problem you need to follow up

The positive here is that he enjoys his time there and settles quickly.

There are some things you might try:
- Be positive about nursery- talk about the staff and children there and try not to show your won possible upset
- Set up a goodbye routine which is familiar and comforting for him. For example- two kisses on each cheek and then Mummy goes. Be clear with him about when you will return e.g. after tea Mummy comes.
- If he is upset- do try to remain positive and be reassured that his key person will offer comfort and distraction. Of course call throughout the day for extra reassuracne
- If you can, try to find out what the nursery has planned so you can talk about the different, fun activities he will be doing during the day

Here is some advice from child psychologist Dr Angharad Rudkin on separation anxiety:

How long separation anxiety goes on for and how intense it is probably depends on the individual child, the nature of their attachment, and the relationship with their caregiver. Some children are better at reassuring themselves and distracting themselves from the worry of separation. If they think that the world is basically an alright place then they may protest a little bit when separated, but basically they'll be able to get on with it. Others may suspect the world is a dangerous place and something awful is going to happen to them if they're separated from their carer, so naturally they'll do anything they possibly can not to be separated.

Usually they are temporary difficulties but they can become reinforced by parents' behaviours - clinging to them, for example, crying into their hair or lingering on the nursery doorstep after you dropped them off, anything that might make the child feel their worries are justified - and obviously that will only make the situation worse.

You need to convey the message that the child will be OK and that you will be OK when separated. Separation anxiety is exactly that: an anxiety caused by being apart from someone predictable and loving. So, providing the child with information about what will be happening, giving them a chance to familiarise themselves with people and places and providing predictability can be useful too. Establish a routine for leaving them and stick with it, for example, say to them: ‘I'm going to take you to the door, give you two kisses, then I'm going to go.' Talk to them about what you're going to do once you've picked them up and you're back together again - for example, ‘After I've picked you up from nursery, we'll go to the shops to get some food for tonight.' This gives the clear message that the time apart is only temporary and provides a longer term view.

My DS was terrible and every time we had to tell him we where watching him play through the window (there was a window covered in paper so you couldn't actually see in) but it worked! He also spent the first week with his tigger teddy dragged around the whole time spent there! He's now in nursery about to start school in sept and runs into without a glance back or a kiss goodbye!

I know it's heartbreaking to see them upset but it helps them attach themselves to their key worker as comfort which means they have someone there when you leave until you return